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Are we really at 'beard' saturation point?

Praise the lords up above because bearded men are declining. Don't worry, they're not being killed off or anything (would be a tad dramatic), but a new study has predicted that the beard is on the decline.

That's right, The Telegraph reports that researchers at the University of New South Wales studied how 1,453 bisexual or heterosexual women responded to 36 photos of men's faces. After seeing several bearded blokes, they were more impressed by those without.

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It must be serious because the study's leader, Professor Robert Brooks, suggested that, "We may well be at peak beard."

After reading the findings, I for one could not be more thrilled. Don't get me wrong, I totally understand the appeal of some celebrity men that have beards; The bearded Ryan Gosling in The Notebook - hawt, Bradley Cooper and his facial fuzz - God yes, and Chris Hemsworth's blonde beard in Thor - perfect!

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Guys who don't have Hollywood looks or a groomer on standby just can't pull off the beard in my eyes, they just can't. They just look a bit… unruly.

I point the blame at Dream Phone, who else remembers the 90s board game which saw Chad or Brad calling you up for a date? I don't recall any of those studmuffins having a beard, do you?

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And on that note, the boybands I liked in my tweens were all clean-shaven pretty boys (I still love you Mark Owen!) and Leonardo DiCaprio in Romeo and Juliet was the ultimate pin up - and his chin was as smooth as a baby's bum. Perhaps your preference all comes down to what you grew up with - had I grown up listening to Kings of Leon or Mumford and Sons, this could be a completely different conversation.

The new study has made a few people cross - Keith Flett, the founder of the Beard Liberation Front, an informal network of beard wearers, said Professor Brooks' argument "may be fun but makes too many improbable assumptions to be taken seriously.

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"Many men have beards for reasons entirely unrelated to sexual attraction, sometimes even the most basic one of not being bothered to shave.

"There is no actual evidence that beards have peaked or are in decline as a fashion statement or anything else."

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Looking to Team Glamour's thoughts and opinions on the matter, I'm afraid they're pretty similar to mine, that beards aren't all that great…

A beard should have a strict growth limit of up to 3cm max, otherwise you run the risk of looking like one of those faces that works upside down. Stubble is most aesthetically pleasing but also painful in a face-to-face contact situation. Exceptions to the 3cm growth rule include older men who deserve a rest from shaving, Father Christmas, Mr Twit.Personally, the beard does not do it for me. Even the word 'beard' turns my stomach, much like the thought of a hairy man rubbing said chin against my cheek. In other words, I am happy that the end might indeed be nigh for the bearded man. Give me clean-cut any day.

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I'm fairly indifferent to the whole 'beard or no beard' debate; on some men it looks great but it doesn't suit everyone - like most trends. The key to beardy success seems to be in good maintenance and not allowing it to grow into a scraggly, matted mess that might get food caught in it. Having said that, on the tube last week I saw a man with a Salvador Dali inspired 'tache alongside a really over-styled pointy beard and well, let's just say, not everyone can pull that off either.I'm undecided; on one hand it's quite Braveheart and rugged but on the other I feel he's lost his boyish cheekiness and it kind of makes him look a little like a middle-aged man, more specifically the farmer up the road (and that ain't a good thing).I love a beard but it has to be 'controlled' and not just unleashed to grow wildly. Also, you've got to be able to pull it off, not everyone can.

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But enough about what we all think? What do YOU think? Tweet us @GlamourMagUK.